A project that transformed a defunct post office building into thousands of square feet of retail and office space in the Bay Area town of Burlingame is steadily leasing space.
The LA-based salad chain Sweetgreen and Local Kitchens, a Bay Area venture that allows customers to order from multiple local chefs, are the latest to sign on as tenants at 220 Park Road in the Peninsula town located just south of San Francisco International Airport, according to a statement from Dostart Development Co. and Sares Regis Group of Northern California, the companies behind the joint venture.
Dostart and Sares Regis broke ground in 2021 on the redevelopment of the post office building from the 1940s, a Works Progress Administration structure that was spared from demolition by its historic status.
Bay Area hospitality group Bacchus Management Group — known for nearby Michelin-starred restaurants such as the Village Pub in Woodside and Selby’s in Redwood City — signed a 10-year lease in late 2023 with plans to open an about 8,000-square-foot restaurant. The site aims to become “an iconic new dining destination,” incorporating touches such as marble slabs and antique brass fixtures salvaged from the old post office.
Private equity firm SkyKnight Capital announced that it had signed a lease at the property in the summer of 2024, and intends to relocate its headquarters from San Francisco in mid-2025. Dostart and Sares Regis added that housewares manufacturer Kohler had signed a lease to establish a nearly 4,000-square-foot showroom in one of the project’s retail spaces.
The two firms broke ground on 220 Park in 2021, constructing a 185,000-square-foot, six-story building in downtown Burlingame designed to open up to a new “town square.” That plaza is being developed by the city with an eye toward giving the town center a much-needed central gathering as a key element of its Downtown Specific Plan. Designed by KSA Architects, the project will create “a one-of-a-kind workplace experience for leading companies,” said the developers in a press release.
The strategy represents how American cities have tried to use real estate to try to reinvigorate central business districts decimated by forces such as e-commerce.
Construction is set to begin on the town square this month, with completion expected in the fall of 2025, around the same time the restaurant is set to open. This new public space will feature outdoor dining, cultural events and gathering areas.
"220 Park is not only located in the heart of an incredible downtown, but our office tenants will now have multiple different dining options literally steps from their workspace,” said Mollie Ricker, a partner at Dostart, in a statement.
